Kimley-Horn’s Texas revenue reached $690.34 million in 2025, making it the firm’s strongest individual geography, with Florida close behind at $535.58 million. North Carolina added $192.62 million and Georgia $154.37 million to Kimley-Horn’s regional total. San Antonio-based Pape-Dawson, which ranks 11th with $511.32 million in regional revenue, drew the bulk of that figure from Texas at $367.71 million, but it also posted growth across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and other Southeast states.

“Pape-Dawson’s performance was driven by continued demand across core civil engineering markets, particularly in fast-growing Texas and Southeast communities,” says Trey Dawson, president of Pape-Dawson. “That broader, more integrated platform allows us to support clients with deeper expertise and coordinated delivery while staying grounded in local relationships.”

Sectors and Standouts

Transportation, water and wastewater, aviation and land development were among the most active sectors across both subregions in 2025. In Texas, Kimley-Horn’s work at San Antonio International Airport—part of a terminal development program that more than doubles its footprint while keeping it fully operational—stands as one of the region’s more complex active programs, requiring phased delivery, early work packages and constrained-site construction to preserve 24/7 operation. The firm is also delivering the Denton Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant expansion, a five-year construction manager at-risk program that will increase treatment capacity to 30 million gallons per day.

Across the Southeast, investment in aviation, health care and infrastructure resilience drove sustained activity. Louisiana remained an active market, with Burns & McDonnell recording $149.97 million in state revenue.

Pape-Dawson saw strong activity across land development, transportation and water resources, with projects increasingly involving complex utility planning, permitting, stormwater management and early due diligence. “Clients increasingly need partners who can help simplify coordination, reduce risk and move projects efficiently from planning through delivery,” Dawson says.

Pape‑Dawson is among the firms selected to work on the Project Marvel sports complex in San Antonio.
Rendering courtesy of Populous

Data Centers Push Power

The data center market continued to reshape how firms approach site selection and early-stage planning, driven by artificial intelligence-related demand across both subregions. The sector’s significance in 2025 was less about direct project volume and more about its compounding effect on land and power availability.

“The surge in data center demand has made both land and power capacity increasingly competitive, which means clients need partners who can move quickly and bring real expertise to the table,” Dawson says. Pape-Dawson says it has built capabilities in site selection and due diligence around power availability, fiber access and infrastructure readiness, allowing clients to identify constraints earlier in the process.

Kimley-Horn points to the energy sector as one of the defining market forces of the current cycle. “Rising demand for reliable infrastructure is reshaping the market and creating a sustained need for distribution and grid resilience improvements,” West says. “Those are exactly the kinds of complex, multidisciplinary challenges where Kimley-Horn is built to lead.”

Challenges Ahead

Despite the strong performance, firms across both subregions are monitoring headwinds. Tariffs and interest rates have introduced uncertainty in the land development sector, where the combined effect on material costs and financing has curbed residential and commercial projects.

“The cost of materials combined with the current interest rate has had an impact on the appetite for residential and commercial development,” Dawson says. Workforce and technology present longer-term constraints. “The defining challenge for design firms in Texas & the Southeast will be building and sustaining the workforce needed to meet demand while integrating AI in a way that strengthens both productivity and quality,” says Emily Meador, senior vice president at Kimley-Horn.

The near-term outlook remains positive. Water and wastewater infrastructure, power delivery, aviation and continued densification in major metro areas are expected to drive the strongest growth across Texas, Louisiana and the Southeast states. “The biggest opportunity is the continued investment in infrastructure” in the region, Dawson says. “Design firms that can combine technical depth with local knowledge and speed to market will be best positioned.”